Clearing my beer

[Bryceefisher]

Sorry. I cannot agree. Chill haze is due to protien particulates remaining in the beer. They exist regardless of whether the beer is at room temperature, or chilled. We attempt to minimize the protein through rigorous hot break (a good rolling boil) and quick and thorough cold break (quickly chilling the beer to fermentation temps, post-boil.)

All that chilling the beer does is cause the remaining protien to "solidify" and become visible (hence the "cloudy beer" we are trying to avoid). This does not make the gelatins' effect any more efficient.

The fact that gelatin GELATINIZES at colder temperatures, means adding dissolved gelatin to a cold keg is like putting your moms jello mold in the fridge.

While I've heard people say that adding gelatin to cold kegs has produced satisfactroy clearing results. There is a difference between getting "satisfactory" results and scoring consitently high in a competition because your double dry-hopped IIPA was "sparkling clear".

If you want to experiment, chill a 1-gallon jar of water to 32 degrees (as earlier suggested), and then cook up your gelatin as usual, but add a few drops of food color. See what happens when you add that dissolved gelatin mix to a jar of near freezing water. My guess is you will have jello at the bottom of your jar. Solidified jello does not clear beer, gelatin dissolved in suspension does.

I was under the impression that when chilled proteins formed a weak bond with tannins creating a larger "solid" in the beer. Chilling before adding gelatin will make it easier for it to drop them out of suspension.

Also as long as the gelatin solution is not boiled or close too it I've never seen any beer jello.

 

[Bryceefisher]

That is interesting BM. I have always heard it the way hawktrio (via TMF) has said it, to chill first then add gelatin. I was under the impression that the gelatin grabs the haze-causing particulates as it congeals. Are you saying that you will get better results if gelatin is added to the beer at fermenting temps?

It shouldn't have anything to do with the gelatin congealing, the particles carry a strong charge opposite the haze forming compounds which binds them and carries them out of suspension.

 

[dogslapbrewery]

I added my gelatin to my keg around 33-34° and it definitely looks more clear. Next time I'll do it right in my primary because im still getting tiny flakes in my beers from the gelatin.